Yi Fan was walking through the crowd. He sighed when he saw the sea of people. Tonight was the Lantern Festival and at the times where human activities were peak and people gathered around like this demons were everywhere, scurrying for the right chance to get what they wanted: life force of humans to feed themselves.

He had warned his protege, Bao Xian, that this night a swarm of demon was roaming in human realm. They would disguise themselves as human so they wouldn't attract unnecessary attention, making their job much easier. He even had set a plan with him. They would split and look for a trace of demon. Once they found one, any of them should call for the others. The demon hunting process could be conducted together and this town would stay away from trouble. Everyone would be safe, that's what Yi Fan hoped. No one would become victim of demons anymore.

BABAAAA! MAMAAAAA!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Yi Fan shook his head. That painful memory again! He had tried for more than a half of his life to erase that memory, but till this very second, he could not bring himself to forget what happened in that darkest night of his life.
The night when his parents were killed by demons as their life force was empty.

Yi Fan sighed. He was lucky that the previous abbot of Jinshang Temple passed his village. Aside of being a respected abbot, he was also one of the most powerful demon hunters in China.

"Leave that boy! You bloody demon!"

He saved him when Yi Fan's life force was almost dried by the raven demon. The abbot slayed the demon in fast, quick movement. Yi Fan was barely alright but he was still alive.

He didn't remember what happened after that. When he finally woke up, all he felt was that his body was aching painfully. When he called his parents, they didn't come. Instead, memory attacked him, making him remember that they were no longer alive. They had died, because of those demons.

He was wailing the death of his parents.

"Listen kid, I am sorry for your loss. We would have a proper funeral for both of them tomorrow."

Yi Fan kept crying but the kind hearted abbot rubbed his head and wiped his tears.

"You may have lost your family, but you are safe now. You have me, you have everyone else.  You could stay with us, we will protect you."

And that was how Yi Fan changed. He lived in the Jin Shan Templed under the teaching of Abbot Shi Yuan. He practiced martial arts and chose to become a demon hunter. He did it really hard, trying to reach beyond his limit. His effort was paid. He managed to possess powerful power and level of martial art. When the Abbot Shi Yuan who saved his life died, he was anonymously chosen as the next abbot, barely twenty years of age. Yi Fan refused it iinitilly but everyone supported him. He had no choice but to lead these people. If it hadn't been for the sake of human being, to keep the lives of human, he would have rejected it completely. However, knowing that he coud protect mankind with his power and position now, he accepted people's plead and vowed to slay demons. He wanted to make sure that no one had the same fate as his.

Ting, ting, ting ....

"That sound!"

Yi Fan froze on his spot. It was a familiar, but the least sound he wanted to hear. It was the sound of magic bell that he handed to Bao Xian, with a very strict warning that it was to use only in the very core of emergency. Bao Xian used it once before when he was almost swallowed by crocodile demon. And the fact that the sound was on his ears know made Yi Fan worried. Bao Xian should be in similar danger, if not worse.

Yi Fan frantically moved his head to every directions, scanning where the sound came from. It was difficult to  do that since the street was full of sounds: people chattering, screaming, the sound of burned fireworks, music, all blended in a disorienting way. He jumped and leapt to the river bank, earning people's awe and surprised look. Yi Fan paid no attention. What he needed to do was to find Bao Xian. Immediately!

There was it! The sound came from a fancy boat stopping in the middle of the river. Yi Fan clapped his hands, beaming his power, sending shock wave through the air.

BRUAGH!!!

The roof of the boat river exploded. A very creepy monster flashed to sky, roaring to the night. Yi Fan gasped. The monster, which he could see as bat demon in a flash only, had someone on his claws, hanging upside down.

Bao Xian!

"Gods in Heaven!" Yi Fan turned pale.

The demon screeched, making people cry in fear and run to rescue themselves. Yi Fan leaped to a boat and kicked the water, speeding the water towards the flying monster. The demon knew that he was chasing it, it flew frantically in the air, carrying Bao Xian like ragged doll, scaring people away.

Yi Fan saw some empty boats before him. He stepped on the back of his boat hard. His boat collected the momentum, hit the other boats before him, and jumped to the air, hitting the bat demon.

The demon was still able to fly.

Yi Fan managed to flip in he air and landed on a bridge. He was terrified about Bao Xian. Bao Xian could break some bones and have wounds. Yi Fan pulled out prayer beads that hung on his neck. He swung his bead and threw it to the monster.

The beads was whirling in the air. As it was making friction in the air, fire sparked, covering the beads with viscious flame. With thundering sound, the beads hit the monster, knocking him down to the land while dropping Bao Xian to the river.

Yi Fan jumped to the river to rescue Bao Xian. Bao Xian was halfway to the bottom of the river before Yi Fan could reach him and bring him back to surface. He laid the unconscious Bao Xian on the ground. Thank God he was still breathing.

"Wait here, Bao Xian. I will come to you."

Yi Fan eyed the bat demon, it had flapped his wings and floated in the air too, making a big wave on the river, throwing people to the water. Yi Fan leaped and stepped on each boat to get himself to the monster. The monster was way very quick, but Yi Fan was able to grab its tail. The monster wiggled the tail, trying to drop Yi Fan. Yi Fan resisted and clamped his hand on it with his life.

He didn't realize where the monster was flying since he was busy helping himself. As Yi Fan he climbed himself on the back of the demon, he finally see that it was heading to volcano.

Shoot! Yi Fan cursed in mind.

The monster was flying higher, now reaching the mouth of the caldera. Yi Fan took something from his clothes.

Sky Dagger

It was the weapon that Abbot Shi Yuan gave. The dagger, originated from a chunk of meteorite that fell on earth and forged by his master himself, held power to slay the demon as it had been purified and chanted with sutras and mantras while it was being made. The dagger was not able to hurt human, but it would inflict fatal injury to demon.

Yi Fan started chanting the sutra. He held the dagger high.

"KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Yi Fan pulled the dagger from the monster back, out of its stabbed heart. The demon stopped flapping its wing. They both started to fall into the caldera below. Yi Fan steadied himself. He collected the momentum and kicked the demon's body as base, throwing himself to the edge of the caldera.

He almost did not make it. If his fingers hadn't grabbed the edge of the rock, he would have fallen into the lava pit. He pulled himself up, ignoring the sharp edges of rock that cut his fingers. He was able to get himself up. Panting heavily, he looked up to the bottom, barely missing the view as the demon's body dropped to the lava. A surge of flame rose to the sky and Yi Fan had to jumped backward to avoid being burned into ashes.

He looked down once again, feeling pity and relief inside his heart.

"May Buddha forgive you with all your mistakes."

Yi Fan wiped the blood from his hand. The dagger was safe inside his clothes already.

"Bao Xian!"

Worry devoured him as he remembered his protege. He was exhausted but his worry made his power boost up. He flew his energy to both his feet and leapt down the mountain, jumping from rock to rock. He leapt as far as he could, feeling that the time was tickling down to oblivion.

Wait for me, Bao Xian. I will help you!

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Their boat was approaching the temple, which was located isolatedly in an island in the iddle of West Lake . The boat had passed the giant statue of Great Buddha and now was moving toward the front gate of Jin Shan Temple.

On the boat was a ferryman and two of his passengers, none other than Yi Fan and Bao Xian. Yi Fan kept drinking herb potion  which has been soaked with Sky Dagger to Bao Xian. Bao Xian had still been unconscious since last night.

"Can we go faster, Sir?"

The ferryman nodded. The monk had asked him more than fifty times and he had been pulling his to row faster already. However, knowing that the person in front of him was the respected Abbot Yi Fan from Jin Shan Temple and Lei Feng Pagoda, as well as the grave condition of the other monk on his boat, he did the most he could do without any complaining.

"Almost there, Abbot. Just another minute."

Yi Fan saw the ladders in front of the temple gate. There were little monks who were sweeping the ladders and the front gate area. They cheered as they saw him, but their smiles faltered when they saw Bao Xian. The boat touched the land and Yi Fan paid the ferryman before bringing Bao Xian on his shoulder.

"Master! You have come! But ..., what happen to Bao Xian-ge?"

All the monks quickly gathered in front of the temple and helped bringing Bao Xian. Yi Fan dropped his body as he arrived at the Front Hall.

"Master, please drink this first."

Yi Fan received the drink, emptying it just in a second. His thirst had gone but not his worry.

"Master, what happened to you and Bao Xian?"

"A very terrible thing happened, Xiu Min. We fought with bat demon. Bao Xian was injured. The bat demon bit him and poisoned him."

Monk Xiu Min along with all the other monks gasped in shock. Xiu Min's face was very pale.

"Can he be cured?"

Yi Fan was quiet for a long time before he stood up, moving toward Bao Xian's room. His face contorted in both pain and fear.

"I don't know .... I hope Heaven blesses him to stay alive ...."

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May 19, 2014

It feels nice to finally able to continue the story. My mind was still swirling about Kris. Damn .... Well, I write this story for the sake of my own entertainment. I just hope all of them stay strong in this distressing period. I don't want to blame anyone. All of them are hurt and I don't want to take sides.

Saranghaja, EXO! Hwaiting for your concert! Kris, wherever you are, take care of yourself.

Schandelierre